


Thinking of You

by HelikaAkileh



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-11-16 09:57:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11250777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelikaAkileh/pseuds/HelikaAkileh
Summary: When Chat Noir visits Marinette one night, he gets two surprises: 1. Marinette's elbow straight to his nose, and 2. A very special present Marinette made for Adrien Agreste's birthday.





	1. Injured

She hadn’t meant to, really. He had completely surprised her, and she had reacted out of instinct.

He rubbed his nose, hot tears edging his bright green eyes.

“I’m really sorry about that,” she apologized saccharinely, though still sincere.

“Guess that’s what I get for trying to be sneaky…” he groaned. “Karma. Or my own bad luck.”

“Let me see,” Marinette said as she carefully pried his hand away from his face. She studied him, checking to see how much damage her elbow had done. “Well it’s not broken…” she sighed.

“Thank goodness…” he exhaled before giving her a soft grin—one that would have probably looked more sneering if not for the pain. “It’d be a shame if you mauled my pretty face, Princess”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’d be  _such_ a shame.” With little remorse she gave him a tap on his nose and reveled just a _tiny_ bit in the hiss of pain her partner made. “Let me get some ice. It’ll stop it from swelling and hopefully get you to stop whining. What on earth were you thinking, you sly cat?”

“I was checking up on you!” Chat Noir claimed in a defensive yowl as he watched her leave.

About a minute later she appeared again.

“Checking up on me for what?” she asked to continue their conversation. Her hand lifted a pack of ice wrapped in a small towel slowly up to his face.

“Just because,” he answered while avoiding her gaze with a pout.

“Because…?” 

Because she had looked tired that day. He ran into her briefly, and quite literally, as Adrien after school. It was relatively normal for Marinette to trip and fall. She was always endearingly clumsy like that, but today had been different. She wobbled while dragging her feet, and suddenly she collided into him. Her sketchbook flung into the air and hit the ground with a flapping thud. Of course she was the first one to begin stammering apologies profusely as he handed her back her book, but he was distracted by how several of her fingers were wrapped in bright bandages. Before he could ask about them, she ran off clutching her sketchbook to her chest.

He winced as she pressed the cold pack too hard. With a gloved hand he took it from her, but with his other hand he grabbed her wrist gently.

“What happened here?” he asked, once again face to face with her neon colored, bandage-wrapped fingers.

She looked embarrassed. “Oh. Um, I was working on a project last night and I was pretty exhausted so I accidently pricked myself a few times.”

Chat Noir frowned. “That’s no excuse.”

“It was a special project,” Marinette defended.

“What could be so special that it’s keeping you up and mummifying you?”

She frowned, casting a side-glance to her table and his eyes followed the path.

On her desk was an assorted range of blue fabrics, piled up and hanging off the edge like a cascading waterfall. If he counted right, it was maybe five different dresses.

“Inspiration hit?” he asked.

Marinette scoffed. “I wish.” She put her head in her hand. “There’s an important event I’m going to, and I need to wear something mind-blowingly awesome…”

Chat Noir grinned. “May I see?”

“They’re all horrible and need to be scrapped, so why not?” She walked over and began to sift through the pile.

“I doubt that any one of them is bad, Princess.”

She lifted one up; a light blue dress with a tulle skirt.

“Looks like a cheap ballerina,” she complained before lifting another dress with her right arm. “And I tried to do something with asymmetry here, but it just looks like it’s falling off of me awkwardly.” Marinette set them back down with a huff and picked up the next set of two. On the left was a black satin dress, simple but well cut. On the right was a longer gown with some delicate draping that he was sure looked more flattering on a human form than dragging to the ground.

“What’s wrong with those?”

Marinette sighed. “The black one is too plain. I know they say you can never go wrong with a little black dress, but it’s so… nothing. Then the draped one looks too Spring-daytime. I’m going for black-tie.”

“Where are you going, exactly?”

“My friend is having a birthday party Saturday…” she admitted.

The answer caught him off guard, because it just so happened that he had a birthday party Saturday night, er, rather, Adrien Agreste did. His father finally let him celebrate his birthday with a party, but of course had turned it into an event to give him better publicity. Adrien had begged him to let his classmates come as well, and he’d miraculously relented. Of course that was what she was getting ready for. Duh, he had invited her.

“I think I know whose,” he said slyly. “Model Boy?”

At that the girl flushed. “Okay, yeah. My friend Adrien is having a big party at his house, and of course I’m going to go, but…” she groaned. “What do I wear?”

“ _Oh_ , are you trying to impress someone?” He grinned. “Mssr. Agreste?” He was referring to his father, but he guessed it could be misconstrued.

Her face got redder. “There’s going to be a bunch of important designers there. Of course Gabriel Agreste is like, wow, one of my biggest inspirations ever, but still! It’s become this huge fashion event, essentially, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if maybe someone noticed? It’s such a long shot, but it’s always been my dream.”

Chat Noir held his tongue. If Marinette wanted to have a career in fashion so badly she could always ask him to introduce her to people. He guessed he should offer, because Marinette was definitely not the type of person to ask for those types of favors. Hey, at least someone was going to enjoy this gala.

“Adrien was so nice when he invited me too,” she mumbled, and at that his ears perked up. “I don’t think it was his ideal party or anything. He’d probably rather just have his friends around instead of this big fancy deal.”

Was he blushing? Chat Noir used the melting ice pack on his hot cheeks. Sure, Marinette was one of his closest friends, but he didn’t think she knew his feelings that well. He’d certainly not mentioned them. He watched as her arms and hands motioned wildly as she spoke.

“Everyone got so caught up in this party, I think they forgot about him a little? It’s his real birthday on Thursday, so I wanted to make him a present. I just got it done yesterday, but then realized I hadn’t thought about the party at all. Maybe it is an upscale event, and Adrien practically begged his father to let his friends come too. I know it’s not technically my responsibility, but I feel like I really have to step it up—not just for all the designers there, but just so my friend doesn’t have to worry. It suddenly started stressing me out so much, I couldn’t sleep. Or make anything decent,” she grumbled hopelessly.

The heat in his face only worsened. She had been thinking about him this whole time?

“How about the last one?” he asked, looking at the remaining piece on her desk.

The girl looked down, her arms slowly falling to the side. Pink tinted her cheeks as she went to pick it up from its hanger. “I don’t think I’ll be wearing this one.”

The dress was a dark blue with a very faint sheen; the contrast against her bright, bandaged fingertips was almost comical. It was the most developed and unique of the pieces she’d shown him. By far the most thought out, and it had lovely tailoring with bright blue piping along some of its edges. The neckline was a wide sloping V-shape. The skirt flared out with some deliberate, stiff pleats. Color him impressed. 

“What’s wrong with this one?”

Her embarrassment made no sense to him, but she frowned deeper nonetheless.

“I-I can’t wear this one.”

Soundlessly, though still red-faced, she walked over to her closet to fetch something. She pulled out a men’s coat—a matching men’s coat. It was less formal, but undeniably the dress’s partner. Instead of piping, the bright blue was in the stitching. He had a scarf that would match it perfectly.

“It’s Adrien’s birthday present,” she just about whispered.

It took him a second before it dawned on him. She had made them matching outfits.

“I was really inspired by it, and then suddenly…” She put them together, side-by-side.

He felt like his face was going to burst. He imagined her in the dress, and himself in the coat. Matching. Like a couple. He wasn't quite sure why the image had him feeling so eager, but he knew he was going to melt the entire ice pack at this rate.

“Just wear it,” he blurted out.

Marinette’s squeaked. “You see them, don’t you? I can’t give him this coat and then show up at his birthday party in a matching dress! There are implications!”

“It’s a really beautiful dress!”

She titled her head back and groaned. “I really appreciate that, but then what am I going to give Adrien? It’s already Tuesday, and I worked on his gift for the past month! Not to mention how I’ve had to psyche myself up just to manage enough nerve to give it to him. I mean, it’s kind of personal! Maybe…” her blue eyes looked wild. “Maybe I should just do something else. Right? It _is_ really personal. Too personal probably! I just won’t give it to him. I-”

“No!” he yelped out.

Marinette clamped her mouth shut, interrupted mid-ramble.

“J-just give it to him. It’s really lovely, and thoughtful. I'm sure he'd really like it.” Very sure! Objectively sure! 

“But!”

“If you don’t give it to him I will be personally offended! Heck, I-I’ll snatch it up right now and deliver it myself.”

As if it was a real threat, she clutched the coat to her and turned away like a mother defending her child. Her expression was panicked.

His nose didn’t hurt anymore, so Chat Noir put down the somewhat thawed ice pack and calmly walked over to his friend.

Gently, he pried the dress out of her white-knuckled grip. As soon as it was free from her grasp her hand flew over the coat. He wasn’t going to take it!  

“Marinette, you’re going to look great. You’re going to blow everyone away because I can tell this _means_ something to you, and it shows.”

He looked down at the coat. His coat.

She flinched as he put a hand on her shoulder.

“You worked really hard, and put a lot of thought into that. I know they look like a pair, but I’m sure if you just explain it to Adrien he’ll understand that you didn’t mean anything by it.”

Still, thoughts of them in matching outfits were flipping through his mind like a book.

“Besides,” he swallowed, tapping at her bandages lightly, “I don’t like thinking about you poking any more holes through your hands.”

She slackened her grip just a bit.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I’m not gonna do anything. Just make sure that Model Boy gets that coat, and that you wear that dress and blow everyone’s minds. Otherwise I’ll turn into a cat burglar.”

She frowned. Her worry quelled and her witty fire came back.

“Just what are you going to do if I don’t wear the dress?”

He grinned. “I suppose I’ll have no other choice than to show up at the party and find out for myself.”

“No!”

“Then it’s a _purr-_ omise, Princess?” Never mind that he was definitely going to be there anyways. 

Her expression dropped at the pun.

“Fine.” She grabbed the dress from him in a flash and went to hang it up in her closet. Neon skimmed along the fabric to straighten it out like a true professional, but she couldn’t stop the excited smile lifting her cheeks. “I’ll wear it,” she whispered finally. She really had been proud of her work. 

 _“And?”_ Chat Noir goaded, earning a roll of her eyes despite the blush on her face.

“ _And_ I’ll give Adrien the coat.”

“Great.” He smiled, actually really excited for Thursday morning.

“Alright, alright. You checked up on me and saved the day. It’s late on a school night, so it’s definitely time for you to go.”

“Was that a ‘thank you’?” he asked cheekily.

“No.”

She pulled on his bell, and the hero winced, prepared for her to not so kindly tap his injury again. That’s what he got for being cocky. Way to ruin the moment where he was actually probably cool for a second to her. He shut his eyes, already anticipating the bloom of pain sure to come.

Instead he got a very light press of her lips, soft and warm against the tip of his nose.

He opened his eyes to see hers expression twinkling with amusement. His face felt like it was tingling all over from her short kiss. 

“ _That_ was a ‘thank you.'”


	2. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Adrien's birthday!

She celebrated Adrien’s birthday the moment she woke up, not that she slept all that well. She’d been too giddy, thrumming with excitement. Though there were no more of his spreads on her walls, nor a photomontage of him as her computer background screen, she did still have a few images of him. Now she was lucky enough to actually have pictures with him on her phone as well as their class photos.

“Happy birthday, Adrien!” she greeted fondly to a framed photograph.

Tikki laughed at her. “You act like it’s your own birthday, Marinette.”

She squealed, unable to contain her joy.

“Instead of celebrating it on your own, why don’t you actually greet Adrien? The real one, I mean.”

Marinette froze and looked down at her cellphone. Should she text him now? It was kind of early in the morning, but they had class so he was probably getting ready, maybe showering or something. She giggled to herself remembering how obsessed he was with keeping clean.

“I’ll just say it at school!” She rushed over to the bathroom to brush her teeth and groom her hair.

When she finished throwing on her outfit for the day, she looped her purse around and left the hatch open for Tikki to fly in. Just when she was about to go downstairs to grab breakfast, her kwami piped up, “Don’t forget the presents!”

Shoot! She nearly forgot in her excitement.

“Right! Thank you, Tikki!” She’d have to remember to give her an extra cookie today. Or two. It was a wonderful, special day after all!

She practically skipped to school with Adrien’s gift tucked securely and snugly in her bag. She’d found a good-sized box for it and some pretty green wrapping paper in one of the closets. Now all she needed was a good time to give it to him!

_Give it to him…_

Her footsteps slowed. Lost in her enthusiasm, she forgot the part where she’d actually have to _give_ Adrien his present. First of all, it was a pretty personal gift. She had a good eye for measurements, but she’d given the coat a bit of allowance in case. The thread she used for the visible stitches were a bold, bright blue that matched the yarn she’d used for the scarf she knitted him (that his father gave him, somehow). It was a statement piece that she’d designed with him completely in mind, from his favorite color, to his taste in clothes, to his lifestyle as a fashion designer’s son in the upcoming winter. It had plenty of big pockets for function, and the buttons were a shiny silver to match the ring he wore all the time.

It was meticulously made with absolute adoration for Adrien sewn in to every last stitch.

Oh my god, would he be able to tell?

Not to mention, Marinette thought dreadfully, she’d have to explain that she had a matching dress. It was an accident that she’d made them a couple’s set of clothes, but she got into the zone! When she snapped out of it and held her gown up in the moonlight, it struck her like an arrow to the head.

How would she explain it to him?

Her apprehensive thoughts soon had her head down, excuses and scenarios buzzing in her mind like an angry hive of wasps. She collided with Alya with no warning, but thankfully her best friend was there to catch her by the shoulders.

“Girl, I was wondering if you’d actually look up. I had a countdown in my head, and it was like 3-2-1, _bam_! Are you still tired from working on your outfit for Saturday? I told you not to stress yourself out.”

“Alya! I’m so sorry I bumped into you. No, I was just thinking about—“

“Lemme guess,” Alya interrupted, taking Marinette’s shoulders and whirling her around just in time to witness as the birthday celebrant himself emerged from his car. As soon as he saw her he smiled brightly with a cute wave.

She squeaked a little, making Alya laugh as she shoved her forward.

There was a gleam in Adrien’s eyes as he saw Marinette coming towards him, and he couldn’t help but scan to see if she was carrying a package. He knew it was kind of wrong to _expect_ a gift from her, but she’d told Chat that she would give it to him. She’d even shown him the coat _and_ her matching dress. As far as he could tell, she wasn’t holding anything, but maybe it was in her bag?

“Good morning, Marinette.”

“H-Happy Birthday Adrien!”

He smiled wide. “Thank you.”

She darted her frantic eyes to the side. Was now a good time? First thing in the morning?

“I uh, um…”

“ _Dude!”_

They both turned around in time to see Nino bounding in.

“Happy birthday, bro!” An arm wrapped around Adrien’s shoulder in congratulations. “Psyched that we actually get to celebrate this time!”

Marinette smiled as Alya joined from behind.

“I second that! This party is going to be rad. Today’s your real birthday though, so we should do something,” she said.

Adrien felt bubbly. So this was what it was like to have friends greet you on your birthday. It was nicer than the stoic way that Nathalie had… acknowledged the day. It was more like she was reading him something off of his schedule—professional, all business. It was just like her, he guessed, and it held a kind of affection that he appreciated. Still, it was first thing in the morning, and he was already trying to keep his smile down, but his cheeks already hurt from his happiness.

“That sounds great. I usually have a ‘special’ gourmet lunch back at home, but Nino told me I _had_ to keep myself free for lunch today.” He eyed his friends suspiciously with good humor.

The girls avoided his gaze innocuously, but Nino nodded. “Yeah, we got a bunch of—“

Quickly, Alya moved to slap her hand over his mouth. “Work. We have a bunch of schoolwork to do before lunch, so let’s get inside before we’re late.”

* * *

 Lunch meant heading over to the park, apparently. Adrien fidgeted as his friends laid down a picnic blanket and began setting up. He wanted to help somehow, but thankfully it didn’t take long before they were patting down a spot for him to sit.

Nino had several cans of soda. “You don’t know how miserable my walk from home was!” He joked as he pulled out a small speaker and connected the Bluetooth from his phone to play music. “Happy birthday, man. This is a special mix I made for your b-day. I’ll send you the files later. I did a bunch of your favorite songs.”

Marinette giggled while Alya rolled her eyes while reaching into her bag.

“I have the main grub! Mom gets a kick of making these creative dishes that she can’t do at the hotel. They’re all about fancy ‘high-class’ food, or whatever, so she likes to mess around sometimes. This is one of my favorites, made special for one Adrien Agreste!” She pulled out saran-wrapped sandwiches and passed them out. “It’s kind of like onion soup but in a sandwich with duck confit. Promise, it’s _amazing_. Plus, it’s on the best bread in Paris,” she sang, wrapping an arm around her best friend.

Alya nudged a shy Marinette, and Adrien sucked in a breath. Now? Nino and Alya already gave him their gifts, so maybe it was her turn. He did his best to keep his face from betraying his excitement, feeling oddly like a squirmy puppy.

Marinette unzipped her bag and looked in. Her hand rifled through, but her brow furrowed and she pouted. A moment of panic seized her. _Where was Adrien’s coat?_ Her mind flew off, scattered as she re-tracked her steps that day. Tikki had for sure reminded her to grab the gifts, and she put it in her bag. They gotten to class, had lessons, she double-checked to make sure that—oh no, she’d left it on her desk, she thought remorsefully.

_Oh well…_ It’s not like Adrien would know, and maybe it’d end up as a nice surprise before he went home. It was a huge relief to postpone it anyways. Then she could be more private about the whole accidentally-made-myself-a-matching-dress ordeal.

She pursed her lips and brought out a small, pink box.

There was no way she’d shoved his coat into that tiny thing, Adrien thought with confusion as he chewed his lunch. Maybe she did get scared after all? Hm, Chat Noir _might_ have to pop in to check up on her later. His visits to her weren’t frequent, but the few times he had come by, Marinette made it clear he was always welcome—though he should definitely never try to sneak up on her again, kind as his intentions may have been.

Just thinking about Tuesday night had him feeling giddy. He rubbed his nose to cover up the oncoming blush. Thankfully it didn’t hurt one bit, despite how hard Marinette had elbowed him. He was surprised it didn’t bruise much either; an easy fix with some cover-up the following day. Man, that’d have been a pickle to explain, and way too much of a coincidence. Adrien comes in with a bruised nose the morning after Marinette Dupain-Cheng elbows Chat Noir in the face? No one else would piece it together, but she was smart enough that she definitely could have gotten suspicious.

Adrien watched as the girl delicately opened the cardboard and lifted the top. A light breeze swept her hair and she tucked some loose strands behind her ear. An array of colors caught his eye in the shine of blue-black in sunlight, but it was in that moment he noticed that her fingers were no longer wrapped in neon-bandages. They must have healed. That, or Marinette got impatient. He wished he could grab her hands to have a look for himself.

“These are special birthday cake flavored macarons.” Marinette pointed to the top cookies while readjusting her bangs. “I didn’t think I’d be able to carry a _real_ entire cake in my bag. Cupcakes, maybe, but I was afraid they’d get squashed. You know how clumsy I am,” she stuck her tongue out cutely. “Anyways, the bottom ones are all different flavors. I have this little sheet to tell you what’s what!” Her parents had asked her to design the macaron menu, especially now that it had become such a popular trend. She’d painted each one and even had it translated into English and Chinese.

“These look amazing, Marinette.” Like jewels in a small treasure box. Adrien’s mouth was already watering. He adored the savory quiche he’d shared with her before, and the boulangerie always smelt like heaven.

“Thanks, Adrien. Happy birthday.”

He looked at his friends and suddenly felt choked up. For the past few years he’d been eating a fancy, gourmet meal for one at a lonely table. He ate it in silence, using perfect etiquette for no reason, trying his damnedest to enjoy his food because it tasted delicious.

“This is crazy good,” Nino gushed to Alya with his mouth full of bread.

“You have _got_ to chew with your mouth closed,” she retorted.

“Since when do you care about etiquette?”

“I just don’t want your spit on me. Don’t talk while you’re eating if you’re gonna spray half of the food back at me.”

Adrien bit into his sandwich as one of his favorite songs played in the background. Nino made jokes while the girls laughed, sometimes at him, sometimes with him. It was probably one of the happiest moments of his life.

It was a little chilly though, he would admit with a smile.

Time went by too quickly as they munched on cookies and Alya dramatically retold a story of her days being a fireball in elementary school. Adrien laughed so hard it was hurting his abdomen, while Marinette tried to suppress fits of giggles. Nino clutched at his stomach, practically wheezing. It took them a while to recover by the time she was done telling her story, a proud smile gracing her lips.

Another light breeze passed by and the sun disappeared behind the clouds, leaving their happy picnic in shade. He already knew it was going to be a relatively cool day, but he shuddered with a sudden violence. He was about comment on it before he saw his friends do the same.

“Oh wow, it got cold.” Alya commented, hugging her shoulders.

The breeze turned into a harsher wind, and Marinette shut the almost empty macaron box to clutch it to her chest.

“L-let’s go back inside,” Nino said shakily as his body underwent a sudden shiver.

The wind died down as they all agreed, quickly packing up. He still had fun laughing and joking with his friends, despite the chill starting to seep into his bones.

“Sucks that the picnic got cut short,” Alya apologized. “At least we got to eat most of it before it started freezing!”

“Yeah, sorry about that, Marinette,” Nino apologized to their lagging friend. “But hey, I think the A-man was pretty happy.”

He turned around confused, but seeing Marinette looking down at the ground had his words die in his throat. Was she not feeling well?

The girl blinked slowly and shook her head. “It’s no problem. Sorry that it was a bad idea. I checked the weather…” It was such a good time for Adrien to have his coat. It was a little silly to give it to him now that they were heading back inside, but still.

“Girl, are you okay?”Alya asked, nudging her side.

Marinette shook her head, distracted. It was his birthday present, for goodness sake! It was better to give it now than back at the classroom. Besides, it would make their lunch end on a happy note!

Suddenly determined, she whispered to Alya, “I’m going to go ahead and grab my gift to give it to Adrien before class starts.”

She got a thumbs-up. “Don’t you worry, I’ve got your back! He’ll be waiting for you,” she said with a wink. Leave it to Alya to be the perfect wing-woman!

“Thank you and I love you!” The raven-haired girl exclaimed before sprinting off.

Adrien frowned watching as Marinette sped past him and up the stairs. Was she in a rush to get back to class? They still had some time…

“Is she alright? Where’s she going?” “

Nino looked to Alya, whose smile told him enough. He shrugged. “I think she’s fine.”

That didn’t really satisfy his concern. Speaking of which… “Why’d you apologize to her just now?”

Nino looked surprised for a second. “Oh uh, well the picnic was her idea,” he admitted. “Even though you’ve got this huge thing on Saturday, she really wanted us to celebrate today since it’s your actual birthday, so we planned it out like, a month ago? I was thinking she might be bummed that it ended so fast.”

The blonde felt warmth rise like a mist from his chest to his face. He cupped his hands around his mouth and blew hot air into them, half to stave off the cold, and half to hide his blush. He knew that she’d put a lot of work into the coat, but the picnic too? What did he do to deserve her being so thoughtful?

“She’s amazing, right?” Alya coaxed, coming to his side with a sly expression lighting her eyes and curving her lips.

“R-right,” he agreed stiffly, hoping that his face didn’t look as red as it felt, or at least that he could chalk it up to the weather.

“Absolutely. She _actually_ got you another gift but forgot it in the classroom.”

His heart sped up. The coat! _What good timing_ , he thought, rubbing his bare arms. “Wow, that’s so nice of her.”

“Yup! That’s Marinette for you!” Alya rushed to loop her arm with Nino’s, her other hand stopping Adrien in his tracks. “She’ll meet you here,” mischief sparkling in her words, the tone ringing effervescently in his ears as she dragged his best friend away.

He stood at the top of school’s steps too excited to tell whether the goosebumps were due to his nerves or the chill in the air.

“ _Oh_ , someone’s excited to get a gift from his _girlfriend,_ ” Plagg snickered from his pocket.

He glared down with a pout, but didn’t say anything.

Continuing to rub his cold arms, Adrien looked around for something to distract him from appearing anxious. That’s when he saw it in the distance. The whisper of wind picked up around the small, approaching form.

An akuma. 

* * *

 

Marinette warmed up plenty from looking high and low for her gift. By the time her friends returned to the room, Alya had her hands on her hips.

“What are you still doing in here?”

She’d just found the green package, suspiciously tucked away into a corner behind some books. She had a sneaking suspicion that _someone_ had moved it there while she was away.

“Girl, Adrien’s going to freeze his butt off if you don’t get down there. He’s waiting by the entrance.”

She apologized. “Sorry! It was hidden somewhere else for some reason, but I just found it!”

Nino gave her a thumbs-up, but Alya pouted and eyed it warily.

“Lemme just fix _one_ thing,” she said, grabbing a pen from her bag quickly. She approached a puzzled Marinette and put the present in her own arm. “To Adrien… from Marinette,” she narrated as she wrote. “Just to avoid any possible repeats. Now get out there!”

Raven pigtails bobbed as she nodded. “Right! Thank you!”

She flew out the door and headed towards the school entrance with adrenaline pumping through her veins. The nervousness was still there, but she also felt a flittering thrill. She was going to give Adrien a present that she had slaved over for so long. It was thoughtful, it was full of love, and it was one of a kind. Her lips stretched wide and a giggle burst through her mouth suddenly, creating a puff of warm air against the cold weather. Had it gotten even colder? Ah, who cared!

She made it outside, blue eyes wide to search for blonde hair and—

Bright green eyes.

“Chat Noir!” She nearly fell back in shock upon seeing him instead of Adrien. “W-What are you doing here?”

Panicked, he exclaimed, “No time!” He scooped her up into his arms. After yelping with surprise, all Marinette could do was bury her head into his shoulder as the cold whipped around.

“Shit,” she heard him curse when they came to a stop.

“What’s the problem?” She took her face from the warmth of his body and looked around to gather her surroundings. Being rushed through the streets blindly was really disorienting. Also cold. She clamped her arms to herself tighter as a shiver ran through her whole body, shaking her legs.

“I wanted to get you home, but looks like the akuma’s been by.”

“Akuma? I didn’t hear anything.”

The hero frowned. “She’s quiet, but I think she’s the reason it’s suddenly freezing. It looks like she’s absorbing all the heat around. Should’ve known she’d have hit up your bakery.”

Marinette looked up at her building, eyes wide to see it looking more like a block of dry ice.

“I don’t know where else is safer, and I need to get back before she freezes all of Paris. She was heading towards the school, but made a detour—probably why you didn’t see her. You have to stay somewhere safe, Princess.” He grinned, despite the situation.

“S-sure th-th-thing.” Her teeth clattered wildly as her body shook. She needed to transform as soon as possible!

Chat’s lips turned down, eyeing her with concern and… something else. “Is that… Model boy’s present?”

A sharp panic suddenly rose through her at the reminder. “Adrien! Did you see him? He was supposed to meet me at the school’s stairs. Is he okay?”

The worry in her big eyes made a lump form in his throat. After he transformed, he went back to the entrance specifically to grab her and get her out of there. “You don’t have to worry. I told him to find cover somewhere,” he lied.

She looked so relieved even though she was freezing; her shivering made his heart wrench.

“Princess,” he called. “You are too good. I’m really sorry for what I’m about to do.” Without any more warning, he took Adrien’s gift from her small arms. She sucked in a shocked breath, partially from his actions but also because of the sudden loss of warmth previously trapped to her by the package.

“What are you doing?” She practically screamed as he shred the paper into ribbons of sea foam green.

He opened the box and hurriedly wrapped Marinette in his coat, remorsefully admiring the vibrant blue inside lining. His favorite color. It looked beautiful on her, however large, the bright stitches bringing out her pretty, wide eyes.

“Sorry, Princess. Don’t be _heated_ at me, just stay warm and safe.”

He kissed her forehead, the warmth of his lips spread to her nose, to her cheeks, to her fingertips and toes.

He was worried about her, she realized.

“Be careful out there. Don’t get frostbite.” She’d be there as soon as she could. He had to leave first though.

Chat Noir grinned, backing away. “I’m too _cool_ for that,” he saluted and vaulted off.

Marinette waited until he was a good distance away before opening her purse. Thanks to the freezing temperature, at least this area was void of people. Tikki flew out.

“That was sweet of him,” the kwami bubbled.

She groaned with a smile. “I know, but I don’t even need it when I’m Ladybug!”

“Not like he could know that. In his head you’re just freezing your butt off!”

“You’re right, Tikki. It was thoughtful, but now it’s time to kick some butt! Spots on!”

* * *

 She hadn’t slept very well the night before, anticipating Adrien’s birthday. Since school had been cut short by the akuma and all the adrenaline had left her, Marinette felt exhaustion seep into her bones as soon as she got home.

After soaking in a warm bath, she briefly had enough energy to do her homework. Her eyes stung by the time she closed her history book, but a tapping sound alerted her.

She climbed up to open the hatch, but feeling the mattress under her knees had a drugging effect.

“Hey, Princess. Checking up on you.”

After Ladybug and he finally defeated the akuma, school was already let out for the day. Classes had a tendency to get cut when there were attacks. He de-transformed and headed home. Naturally, as per tradition on his birthday, Adrien’s father was busy for most of the day. He did his homework, played a few games online with Nino, and had his birthday dinner. It was delicious, like it was every year. It was quiet, as it had become ever since his mother left. He replayed the day in his head, letting himself indulge in thoughts of his friends’ picnic for him.

Eventually his mind wandered to Marinette. He’d left her on her own in a place that the akuma had already been. On the upside, the akuma probably wouldn’t head backwards. On the downside, it was extremely cold. He felt awful for having to rip open the gift, even if it was technically his, in order to keep her warm.

As soon as the house turned in for the night, he decided he’d check up on her.

“Chat Noir. Twice in one day? I’m going to get spoiled.”

“Oh, so you’ve _warmed up_ to me?” He made himself comfortable on her bed, sitting with his back resting against her wall.

Her laugh was weak and she blinked sleepily at him. “You wish.”

“I’m sorry about earlier,” he whispered softly. “About the coat.”

She swayed as she shook her head.

“I appreciate it.” It would do no good for her to get caught in an akuma’s spell anyways. It was really fortunate that he got her out of the school if she’d been completely unaware an attack was happening.

“You going to give it to him tomorrow?”

She shook her head again. “I wore it today, thanks to _someone_.” And after her fight with the Ice Queen, she may have snuggled into the coat to warm up. “It smells like me now. I need to air it out outside again,” she yawned. “I’m sad though. I wanted to give it to him on his actual birthday.”

Smelled… like her?

Inwardly he groaned. It just made him want it more! Was that creepy? Yeah that was probably extremely creepy, but Marinette’s room smelled like sugar cookies and melted butter on toasted baguettes. He liked every time he stepping into the building.

He cleared his throat; a desperate half-formed plan dragging its way out of his mouth. “May I be of assistance?”

She gave him a questioning look.

“I can air it out and deliver it tonight. It’ll be a piece of cake,” he offered, fighting the hope that she’d take the bait from coloring his words. Her thoughtful pause was killing him.

She weighed her options quickly, and to her very tired mind, having Chat Noir deliver Adrien’s gift was a huge relief. She wouldn’t have to worry about apologizing that it was late or stuttering through an explanation as to her matching dress. Beyond that, Adrien would get a visit from a superhero, and he’d end his birthday with a present instead of having it cut short by an akuma. It all sounded great.

“You would do that for me?”

Her exhaustion be damned, those eyes were filled to the brim with gratitude. Geez, he was being selfish here, but it seemed like a win-win.

“Anything if you give me that look,” he admitted way too honestly.

“Thank you so much. You really saved me today. Twice now.” Her arms wrapped around him. He followed suit out of instinct. Her haired smelled of her shampoo, whatever it was, floral and different from the way the rest of her home smelled like dessert. It was the way his coat would smell, probably. The thought had him reeling.

“It’s really no problem.”

She hummed in reply, arms dropping a tad.

It was a nice embrace; warm and affectionate. Selfishly he held on to her tighter. He hadn’t been hugged for his birthday in a long time, not that Marinette would know. It was self-indulgent to have her in his arms this long, but she wasn’t backing away. She’d done so much for him to make him feel happy, not just on his birthday, but definitely in a very special way today. He held her and bit his tongue, doing his best to convey all his gratitude silently.

Except she started snoring.

The cat had to purse his lips and hold in a laugh.

“Princess, I’m going to put you to bed, okay?” he said, softly chuckling as he pulled away.

Marinette stirred awake, but her eyes barely cracked open. “Huh?”

Okay, he couldn’t hold in the laugh that time, but it was quiet. “I have to tuck you in. Did the cold turn you into Sleeping Beauty?”

Her head hit the pillow and she shut her eyes, furrowing her brows. “No, I was…” her breath trailed with her drifting off to sleep again.

“You were…?” he goaded, grinning despite how she definitely wasn’t looking at him.

“Too excited for Adrien’s birthday to sleep…”

The effect was instant, like fireworks exploding in the sky, he felt his cheeks sizzle with a hot blush. She wha— She was too excited? Over _Adrien’s birthday?_ For _his_ birthday? Not even for the party this time! Just for _him?_

Thank god that Marinette had her eyes closed. Thank god that Marinette couldn’t see Chat Noir blushing so hard his face hurt. Thank god that Marinette had no idea he wanted to shove his face into a pillow to freak out but in a muffled sort of way.

Thank god for Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He looked over to the girl; her mouth slightly open and letting out even breaths, and her long eyelashes dark against her cheeks. It was a mistake. It only made his embarrassment worse and his adoration for her skyrocket.

He remembered his kwami’s teasing from earlier, _Oh, someone’s excited to get a gift from his girlfriend._

Maybe Plagg was right. He was right, wasn’t he? Not about Marinette being his girlfriend, but… he liked her! He really, really liked her.

Completely giving up, he grabbed one of her unused pillows to shove into his face. The coolness of it felt like a refreshing burst. Okay. He was okay. Deep breaths. He tried to avoid making any noises, but as the smell of her surrounded him a helpless, whiny sound escaped his throat. It had been another careless mistake.

Oh man, he was a wreck. She had turned him into a mess!

Beside him, Marinette slept peacefully.

* * *

 

“Marinette!” Adrien greeted eagerly.

There he was. In her coat. In the coat she had made for him, only him, with only thoughts of him running through her mind.

The girl knew he was a model, but seeing him wear something she’d created—something more than a hat (that made him sneeze) or a scarf (that he thought his father gave him)—made her heart beat skip twice before shooting off into a marathon. She felt frozen watching him wave at her. Was she even waving back? Was it so wrong to think, _Oh my god, he looks so good!_ when he was wearing something of her own design?

“A-Adrien!” That wasn’t even a greeting.

He was walking towards her beaming, and just when she was sure he’d come to a stop right in front of her, he kept moving towards her until she was wrapped up in his arms.

“Thank you so much for the gift. It feels great on!”

She sputtered for a while before somehow getting her tongue untwisted just enough to get out a squeaky, “You’re welcome.”

So, Chat Noir really had delivered the gift for her. She’d had a mild freak out in the morning, panicking over where it had gone before Tikki swooped in and recounted her half-asleep encounter with the feline hero. She’d have to thank Chat sometime, even though she had some regrets about not delivering the gift to Adrien on her own. But wait!

“Wow did you, I mean, _how_ did you know it was from me?”

How did he get it, Marinette wondered? Did Chat Noir pop in and go, _“Yo, this is from that pigtailed-girl in your class!”_ Or was it just left as a package? Did Chat Noir _break in_ to Adrien’s house?

The blonde boy scratched the back of his head.

“Okay, so this sounds crazy, but Chat Noir showed up at my house late last night. I was awake playing some video games, but then he knocked on my window with this saying it was from you.” He liked watching the small shimmer of relief in Marinette’s doey eyes when he said he had been awake. He had been. Chat Noir’s late night trip to the Agreste mansion had been his most convenient errand ever.

“S-so he showed up at your house with it, huh?”

“Yup!”

She hoped he didn’t ask her questions. She could fabricate _something_ , but she’d rather not stutter an excuse when she felt so frazzled. The last thing she wanted to do was clarify that Chat Noir and her did not have that kind of relationship.

“Anyways, this is _amazing_ Marinette! I really appreciate it. And what good timing after how cold it got yesterday, though I guess that was the akuma’s fault…” He smiled sheepishly.

The akuma!

“Oh Adrien, I’m so sorry that happened on your birthday.” It was amazing to watch the nervousness seemingly melt away from her, replaced with nothing but empathy and kindness.

“Actually, believe it or not, it was the best birthday I’ve had for a really long time.” He put his hands on both of her shoulders; enamored with watching the emotions shift in her eyes like light shining off of glitter.

“Really?”

He fought the urge to lean in, tightening his grip just enough to keep him from moving forward.

“Absolutely, Marinette. Thank you for thinking about me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been edited, but you can find the original post on tumblr with art here: http://justafewsmallsteps.tumblr.com/post/148613508307/after-so-many-amazing-notes-i-have-finally

**Author's Note:**

> Posted on tumblr with artwork at http://justafewsmallsteps.tumblr.com/post/148192857982/day-3-of-make-up-marichat-may-injured-edit-if


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